Race Reports
Sunday - Practice goes well the KR is working properly, the TZ is still a pain to ride.
First race is the novice race total carnage. A GSXR cracks its sump on the kerb at the old hairpin on the first lap and trails oil all the way along the start finish and up the hill. The chap falls off at the top as the right hand side of the bike is covered in oil. Three other bikes go down. It takes over two hours for the track to be claered and the ambulances to return. The programme is altered to one seven lap race per class. All through the day races are red flagged and the wagon goes out with cement dust to clear the oil.
Race 1 F400 - I am on the fourth row for the F400 race. The Bedford brothers are on the front row, Peter Whitesideis along side me. I am running 14/45 gearing, 145 mains with no filter and an airbox lid lifted at the front by 10 mm. (Air temp is 16°, 65% and 1005 mB) Tyres are a KR364 115/70 (125 rear run on the front) 29 psi and a Dunlop KR364 355a (An Aprilia cup tyre) 30 psi rear. The flag drops and I get great start out dragging Peter by miles and in to 6th at the bottom of the Hill and 4th onto the back straight, I think it was third by the bottom of the mountain when the race was red flagged and I am all over Phil Bedfords rear. Both the Bedfords got a flyer from the front row. At the re-start I get a good start and slot into 5th on the back straight. I can't quite get past a VFR400 at the end of the straight and Peter Whiteside barges up the inside making me lift and lose drive. Follow the VFR and Peter into the goosekneck where the 3rd place man high sides big time. The VFR which Peter had just nipped past, and I was lining up, lifts to avoid bike and rider and forces me onto the grass. I lose one place whilst on the grass. Up over the mountain and on to the start finish straight and the KR starts to mis fire. Up the hill and round onto the back straight where more misfiring and a couple of bikes go past me. Sod this - I coast back into the paddock as I can't see any point in hammering an ailing bike for 6 laps. Stuart Bedford bins it. Peter Whiteside wins it and the championship. As we were only running one race its double points. Still I think I am still second in the championship. Though that may change as I won't be contesting Darley.
Race 2 Open 250 - Next up the open 1300 and open 250. fourth row start though I am really not in the mood. Get away reasonably and make a bit of ground. Then I just went backwards. The less said about this race the better (it wasn't a race). End up 25th overall out of 27. Though I reckon I have found out why I can't ride the TZ at Cadwell - I think it is the riding position.
Overall Summary - A pretty crap days racing. But I don't feel that bad about it. The KR is fixed, nearly, and I am still alive. I had some pretty weird dreams before the race of me dying. Head is not all together. I am lapping nearly 8 seconds quicker on the KR than I am on the TZ something is definitely not right. Team T£ had a bad day all three fell off avoiding other people who had fallen off. I hope Mark Brown is ok as he took a nasty bump to the head and was shipped off to Grimsby Hospital.
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